I tried a piece of cling film. It was alright as far as lightness and contact, at least you could feel the sound-board through it. I think that may be important, but it tends to make your finger too hot and also very humid. I thought of using a mini chamois leather, or micro- pore, glove; but then you will no longer feel the sound-board. That is the problem that I think you may have with the rubber glovelet. Also, you wouldn't want anything that can damp resonances at all. Are there any ideas about a material which is ultra-thin and breathable that might play this role?
On two slightly different topics. I have seen lutists using a wooden tool to turn pegs. I wouldn't mind buying one of these myself; however, is there not a risk of breaking a peg or even the peg-box? I have not noticed any paintings of lute players showing them with a lute strap, and yet most players use a strap today. Might these be absent from paintings, but nevertheless have been used when the lutist actually played? Are there any signs on the old lutes themselves that straps were indeed used? There seem to be many ways of wearing these straps. Some lutists seem to wear them extremely tight, so that the lute is held extremely high and it remains quite stable. Also as a result of the high position the lute is nearer the players ears. Others seem to wear them longer, but stabilize the lute with a knee, or use a second strap on which they sit. Would either of these methods be beneficial or tend to inhibit resonance? I have noticed that the lute remains most stable when the strap is tied nearer the extremity of the peg-box. Furthermore, some people use colourful cloth material, while others use a very solid guitar-strap. Is it just the case of 'use what works for you", or are there serious reasons for adopting a particular method? If there is any trace of straps in earlier use, would one of these methods be more authentic? At present, I am going for the tighter high lute position with a widish strap, simply because I don't want to carry about secondary straps or foot-stools. Anthony Le 14 mai 07 à 06:16, stephen arndt a écrit : > I had trouble with the little finger spot turning green as well and > came up > with a solution that some might not like but that I don't mind at > all. Most > office supply stores sell rubber finger tips for people whose work > requires > them to leaf through stacks of paper. I bought a box of small sized > ones and > wear one on my little finger. It prevents the soundboard from > discoloring. > > Stephen Arndt > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "John Scott" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> > Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2007 6:53 AM > Subject: [LUTE] Novice question - cleaning a soundboard. > > >> Hi - this is SO basic that I'm ashamed to be asking... but here >> goes. >> >> My little student lute has an unvarnished spruce soundboard. I >> wash my >> hands before playing, but because spruce is so light in colour and >> there's no varnish to repel smudges, I can already see that it might >> eventually end up looking pretty grubby. >> >> Am I right in thinking that taking a damp cloth to the thin >> unvarnished >> wood would not be a good idea? Failing that, is there any >> recommended >> cleaning method, or should I just come to regard some smudges as >> part of >> the instrument's 'character'? >> >> >> >> >> To get on or off this list see list information at >> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > >
